The Deck of Many Things
by Poiniard
Summary: COMPLETE The iconic characters from the Player's Handbook embark on an adventure to win a Minor Artifact.
1. Chapter One: The Gorge

CHAPTER ONE: THE GORGE

"There it is, the Gorge of Pirzadeh." A great cleft splitting the heavily wooded hills, the fabled gorge had not been easy to find. It was narrow and winding, and no path marked its entrance, only a small creek winding down out of the hills. "I sense evil here," Alhandra said, eyeing the foreboding way ahead, "but it is faint and distant."

Many years ago, Alhandra had been a warm-hearted and compassionate young knight in the church of Trithereon. But too many friends lost in battle and too many years of seeing things no woman should ever have to witness had hardened her heart. The wars had left her with nothing to cling to but her faith. She'd gotten used to sleeping on the hard ground or in cold watchtowers, to living off trail rations and thin wine. Her eyes glittered coldly as she gripped the hilt of her sword.

Beside her, a sturdy dwarf in scale armor tested the edge of his battle axe with his thumb. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Let's not be hasty, Tordek," Regdar said, putting a mailed glove on the dwarf's shoulders. The big man had always been a warrior. Once, he had fought only for pay, but he had survived when mercenary companies had come and gone. Now, he was just a fighter, and he looked it. His head was shaven, but he kept a short goatee on his chin. Edged and blunt weapons festooned his belt. His armor was covered in spikes, another weapon he could use to good effect. But his chief implement was the ornate, magical bastard sword sheathed at his back. The Sword of Kings it was called. A noble name, but the sword's lineage meant little to Regdar. "We should send the elf on ahead, to scout, while we wait for the others to catch up."

"Sound advice, Regdar," agreed Soveliss, hefting his elven longbow. "I won't go far, but we want to know exactly what we're getting into." The ranger had the slim build and angular features of his race, but Soveliss was not like most gray elves. He loved the woodlands, but he also sought adventure beyond the eaves of the forest. Since the forces of evil had brought fire and slaughter to his home in the west, he'd waged a never-ending campaign of violence to stamp out the stain of darkness. His wanderings had taken him to many lands, few of them hospitable, but since he'd fallen in with his current companions, he'd finally found a group of comrades he could depend on.

"I don't expect any trouble," the elven ranger said, "but one never knows."

"Don't worry," Regdar said with a grin. "If we hear you yell, we'll come running."

The elf drew the hood of his grey cloak down over his face, and set off into the tangled trees of the gorge. His elven boots made no sound, and he soon disappeared from view.

"Well, since we're waiting here, I might as well make myself at home," Tordek said. He dropped his heavy pack to the dirt and sat down on top of it, leaning his double-headed axe against a tree within easy reach. The dwarf took a small pipe from his belt, stuffed it with some herbs from his pouch, and lit it. Soon, he was relaxed and puffing contentedly.

Alhandra would never relax. She did remove her own pack, though, and lean against a tree. But she kept her eyes on the haunted gorge.

Regdar chuckled, and glanced back the way they had come. "Here they come now."

The last three members of the adventuring band were just coming up the hill, talking quietly. Mialee was an elf-maiden of noble birth, trained in wizardry by some of the finest magic-users of distant Celene. Unlike the rest of her companions, she wore no armor, only the ornate quilted cloth of the High Elves. She carried a mage's staff in her hand, and across her back was slung a quiver containing not arrows but wands, an impressive variety that had saved the party more than once. In a satchel slung over her shoulder, the elven wizardess carried her all-important spell-books. She also kept a mysterious array of magical items in her bag, things which had little meaning to the rest of the party, but which Mialee could sometimes wield with great effect.

Beside her walked Lidda, a halfling of nondescript appearance and a murky reputation. Although she was small, Lidda could be as deadly as any of them, leaping from the shadows with her twin daggers, or hitting an orc's eye from fifty paces with her little crossbow. She wore tight black leather armor, allowing her to move even more silently than Soveliss. Many pouches hung from the belts at her waist and shoulders, every buckle carefully smudged to prevent tell-tale reflections of the light.

With them marched Jozan, a man of Regdar's age, and almost as big. Jozan was a priest of Pelor, the sun-god, and wore the golden disk of his patron diety emblazoned on the tunic atop his chain mail. His blond hair was long, a tradition among Pelor's clergy. A sturdy mace hung from his belt.

"I told you it would be here, Jozan," Mialee said, immediately noticing Soveliss' absence. She caught sight of Tordek sitting on the ground and wrinkled her nose at the reclining dwarf.

Lidda's eyes lit up when she saw the dwarf. She clapped her hands and hit the ground beside him, deftly reaching into her own pack and pulling out a neatly-wrapped package. "The last of my brambleberry tarts," she said, unwrapping it. "I'm famished." Tordek smiled at the halfling beside him as she pulled off her gloves and began eating.

"As soon as Soveliss returns, we'll head up into the gorge," Regdar said. Then, he turned to Mialee. "Now, tell us again what you're expecting to find there."

"This is what the Council of Wizards told me," Mialee began. "The Deck of Many Things is an artifact of fabulous power. It is surprisingly mundane in outward form, having the appearance of a simple deck of playing cards, such as are commonly found in taverns and common rooms across the Flanaess. But each card is imbued with a unique power, which is bestowed instantly and irrevocably upon the one who draws from the Deck. And according to those ancient writings we found, the Deck lies somewhere within this very place," Mialee said. She inclined her head towards the shadowy Gorge of Pirzadeh.

"So, who- or what- made this thing?" Tordek asked.

Mialee shrugged. "The Suloise, the Gods of Chance, the Ur-flan? No one knows. But the Deck is ancient. Tales of it appear in the myths and legends of a dozen lands."

"Perhaps there's more than one?" Lidda asked.

"No," Mialee said. "All the legends say that the Deck is unique."

"The thing sure gets around, then."

"It is likely that one of the powers of the Deck is that, once it is found and used, it vanishes, only to be rediscovered somewhere else."

"Sounds like whoever made the Deck thought it was too much power to be wielded for long by any one person," Regdar said.

"Or else they just had a damned strange sense of humor," Lidda added.

Alhandra, who had so far remained silent, shifted her weight. "I've read tales of this thing as well, from the library at my temple, before it was destroyed. They agreed with all that Mialee has just said. But I have a sense of foreboding. I think we should just let the thing be."

"But think of the honor we would bring, if we did find it," Jozan said. "It has lain here, hidden, for untold years. It only gets discovered once every few centuries, and now we have a chance to claim it and use it." Bringing an ancient artifact to light would certainly earn Jozan the praise of his superiors in the Church of Pelor.

"It would go a long way towards boosting our reputations," Mialee agreed. Being a part of the group which found the Deck of Many Things would almost certainly gain her admittance to the inner circle of the Wizard's Guild.

"Bah," said Tordek. "If I wanted fame, I'd go out and earn it with my axe. Poking around in musty old caves hardly sounds like the way to gain a kingdom, at least among my people. There's got to be something else in it."

"Yeah, like gold, or gems," Lidda added.

Jozan sighed and Mialee shook her head. "The Deck is a powerful artifact," the wizardess said. "Wealth and power are but the least of the things it can bestow."

"It can also bring death, or worse," Alhandra said quietly.

"We risk those things every day," Tordek said. "Count me in."

"Me too," Lidda said.

"What do you think, Regdar? Is it worth the risks?"

The big warrior rubbed his head. Ultimately, the decision was up to him. He knew he would follow Jozan's advice, as he always had, even in times when he thought they were on a fool's errand. What he was most concerned about was the welfare of his companions. He looked at the others. The party had been through many harrowing adventures in the past, and had always emerged victorious, because of their valor and skill and loyalty. "Well, we've tried riskier things," he said at last. "What say you, Alhandra? Will you accompany us?"

The paladin thought for a moment. "You will have my sword."

Regdar turned to face Jozan and Mialee. "Well, I hope you're-"

A birdcall suddenly broke the unnatural silence of the forest. It was a bird not native to those lands, yet it was a sound the adventurers knew well- a signal from Soveliss. The companions instantly became alert. Tordek leapt to his feet, axe in hand, while Lidda seemed to melt into the shadows. Regdar and Alhandra had their hands on their sword hilts.

"Soveliss returns," Regdar said. "And he's found something."

Moments later, the leather-clad elf materialized out of the foliage. He took a knee next to Tordek and leaned on his bow. "There's an encampment of orcs inside the Gorge, with sentries posted on either side," Soveliss reported. "They're definitely guarding the place, but I slipped past them easily enough."

"Did they see you?" Alhandra asked.

The elven woodsman shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Will we be able to surprise them?" Regdar asked.

"Not with you clanking around in all that metal, we won't," Soveliss said with a grin. "But if Lidda and I slip past them first, we can keep them from fleeing further into the Gorge. The rest of you can then attack their main camp."

"How many are there?" Regdar asked.

"Perhaps a dozen, probably fewer."

"Regdar, are you finally becoming cautious?" Tordek asked. "When did a dozen orcs ever give us pause?"

"Never, my friend, you know that. I just don't want to charge into this without a plan."

"I agree," Alhandra said. "But we should strike while the sun is still high, or else wait until tomorrow. The shadows of the Gorge will already act in the orcs favor."

"It is always better to combat evil under the light of the sun," Jozan agreed.

Ever since he'd first seen the entrance to the infamous Gorge, Regdar had felt a growing sense of foreboding. Fighting toe-to-toe on the field of battle had always been his strength, not stealthy raids against ancient, unknown magic. Of all the companions, and all they'd been through, Regdar trusted Jozan the most. The fighter looked to the priest for support more often than he sought his advice. When it came to courtly manners and diplomacy, Regdar was usually at a loss, and he came to rely on Jozan's wisdom. Other times, as in battle, the cleric usually let Regdar go with his instincts. Jozan had at first wondered why the warrior held him in such high regard, but finally just put it down to friendship, and left it at that. The two men had been through a lot together, and always come out mostly unscathed.

"All right," Regdar said. "Soveliss, take Lidda and go up into the Gorge. We'll give you time to get into position, then we'll come in swinging. You'll know it when their guards spot us." Soveliss nodded smartly and got to his feet.

"A quick blessing before we begin our endeavor," Jozan reminded them. Unhooking his mace from his belt, the cleric stood facing the others, his free hand outstretched, and spoke a brief prayer. This ritual had long ago become an established custom for the group before every battle. Whether Pelor's blessings truly brought them divine protection or simply good luck remained a matter of late-night debate around the campfires. Still, everyone in the party had learned the wisdom of submitting to Jozan's blessings- as long as he kept them short.

Soveliss smiled at Lidda. "Come, little one. It is time to hunt. Did you say your prayers along with Jozan?"

The halfling gave the elf an insolent hand signal. Then, she dusted off her hands and replaced her black gloves, checked that her bowstring was sound and that her knives were firmly in their scabbards. With a nod to the elf, the two went stealthily into the forest.

Regdar drew his greatsword from his back. There was no need to test its edge- the magic in the steel kept the blade keen. The edges gleamed faintly in the dappled shadows of the wood. Alhandra drew her sword as well, a shiny broadsword she had taken from the corpse of her mentor long ago. He no longer needed it. She pulled her unadorned shield from her back and strapped it to her arm, whispering a prayer to Trithereon without even thinking about it.

All levity was gone from Tordek's face as he snuffed out his pipe and stuck it back in his belt. Prayer was not something any dwarf liked to do openly, and Tordek rarely discussed moral or religious matters, even with his longtime companions. Yet the others knew that somewhere inside all that armor and gruff exterior was a warm heart, even if it was made of stone, as Tordek insisted. The dwarven fighter looked up at Jozan, who came to stand beside him, and glanced over at Mialee. Tordek had learned long ago that if the party's formidable blades were not enough, it would be up to those two to come down hard on their foes with their magic. Despite the fact that Tordek was not particularly fond of either human priests or elven wizards, here was a pair he'd vowed to watch out for. The dwarf always kept an eye on his friends.

After a while, Regdar guessed that Soveliss and Lidda had had enough time to slip up into the Gorge undetected. "All right," he said. "It's time to head out."


	2. Chapter Two: Orcs

CHAPTER TWO: ORCS

The forest inside the Gorge of Pirzadeh was more tangled and dense than any natural woodland should have been. The undergrowth was full of thorny green vines which tangled the feet, and the shadowy light beneath the canopy of dark trees shrouded the entire vale in an eerie twilight. The steep sides of the ravine rose jagged and rocky like walls on either side, closing in and giving the adventurers a feeling of claustrophobia. Mialee had the easiest time navigating the uneven, rocky ground, but clad only in a short tunic and fitted skirt, she had little to protect her from the thorn-laden bushes. The others, clad in armor, were immune to the briars, but were more in danger of twisting an ankle on an unseen rock, or tripping over the hidden vines which seemed to move to hinder their progress. After a short time, Tordek, who was having an especially hard time with the undergrowth, resorted to hacking away a path with his axe.

"So much for silence," Regdar muttered.

"Easy for you to say," Tordek countered, breaking off a thick stalk that had somehow gotten wrapped around his forearm. "You just go on plowing a way through, I'll do it my own way."

Still, the five companions made their way as best they could up the narrow vale, following (they hoped) in the footsteps of Soveliss and Lidda. Suddenly, Mialee cried out in pain and fell to the ground. She almost disappeared beneath the undergrowth.

"Mialee!" Jozan turned around in alarm- the elf had been right behind him. He knelt down in the thrashing brush, searching for the wizardess.

Regdar turned and came rushing back towards them. "Jozan, what happened?"

"She fell down and disappeared," the cleric called back. Then he breathed a sigh of relief as he clasped a hand on Mialee's arm and hauled her to her feet. She was bleeding from a number of long scratches. "What happened?"

"I could have sworn one of the vines grabbed me around the ankle, and pulled me under those bushes," she said, a little unsteady. She leaned against Jozan's armored chest. "But I think I'm all right, I just need to catch my breath."

Jozan nodded, quickly assessing her injuries. "Your wounds are minor," he said. "You probably just tripped. Easy enough to do in this terrain."

Mialee nodded. "You're probably right."

"You dropped this," Jozan said, handing Mialee her wizard's staff.

The elf snatched the arcane thing back quickly. For a moment, Jozan saw gratitude in her eyes, but the look was soon replaced by her typical aloofness.

"Is everything all right?" Regdar asked.

Jozan and Mialee both nodded.

"Well, let's get moving. Alhandra and Tordek are starting to get ahead of us. I want us to be together when we come upon the orcs."

"We're right behind you," Jozan said, staying close to Mialee. "It should be easier going, now that you three have cut a path of sorts."

They caught up with Alhandra and Tordek, who had stopped and were kneeling behind a large tree. "I can see two of the orc sentries," Alhandra said, pointing ahead. The others looked, and could clearly see a pair of dark-skinned orcs, partway up the right side of the Gorge, not far from where they knelt.

"There's probably a similar pair on the left side of the canyon," Regdar guessed, though he couldn't see them. "That would be how orcs operate. I don't know how Soveliss and Lidda managed to miss them."

"Probably snuck right past 'em," Tordek said.

"Tordek, you and me will go after those two. Alhandra, you take Jozan and Mialee a little further up and see if you can find any more orcs on the left. Once we've taken out their guards, we'll march up the Gorge and hit the main camp from both sides, with Sove and Lid behind."

Alhandra nodded and snapped down the visor on her helm. "Trithereon guard you," she said. With a nod from Mialee and Jozan, the three set out up the Gorge.

Regdar turned to his dwarven friend. "Should be easy," he said.

"Just like old times," Tordek answered. "I hope they don't have bows. I hate bows." Then, the two warriors hefted their weapons, and charged up hill at the two orc sentries.

The orcs did have bows, and rocks, too, but their weapons were of little use against the two armored foes who came bursting out of the woods. What the orcs did have was the steep sides of the Gorge, which quickly became nearly steep enough to hinder a frontal assault. But Regdar managed to climb and crawl his way up to their camouflaged ledge. Though he had dents in his helm and breastplate from rocks, and two arrows sticking out of his mail, none of the orcish missiles had done him any harm.

The orc sentries were defiant. Though the attacker had resisted their bows and rocks, each bow-legged orc held a curved sword. They were clad in the crude armor of heavy iron rings and hardened leather typical of orcs everywhere.

The warrior reached the sentries' outpost and drew himself up to his full height, brandishing his sword in both hands. His eyes were cold. "Die, orcs," he said. Then, he lunged at the pair. One came right at him, while the other hung back a little, moving around to the big man's left. Regdar's blade clashed with the orc-sword, knocking the humanoid back a step. Regdar had enough momentum from his blow to bring his sword around, directly into the path of the second orc who was charging. The tusked creature grunted in pain as the warrior's sword punched through its armor, completely skewering the orc.

Regdar would almost have been in trouble. His sword was momentarily useless, and the other orc was bringing his sword around for a fatal thrust. But rather than try to dodge or even free his own weapon, Regdar merely pivoted and leaned towards the onrushing orc. Ducking under the orc's curved blade, the warrior slammed his armored shoulder into his foe. The long spikes pierced the orc in three places, impaling the creature. Regdar disentangled his sword and his armor, and both orcs slumped lifeless to the ground.

"You could've saved one for me," Tordek said, finally managing to reach the ledge. "You know climbing's not one of my best skills."

"Yes, but I didn't want to give them a chance to use that," Regdar said, pointing with his sword. At the back side of the ledge, a wooden horn hung from a bit of root growing out of the wall of the Gorge. "The last thing we need is an alarm being sounded. And look, we didn't need to scale the cliff after all."

In the very back corner of the outpost, there was a narrow path leading further into the Gorge.

"Let's not waste time here, I want to join up with the others." They made a quick search of the orcs and their ledge. Finding nothing, they hurried down the path, back into the Gorge.

The path was narrow and winding, but the going was much easier than climbing the steep walls of the ravine had been. Not far along, Regdar and Tordek spied the main orc camp- a pair of ramshackle tents and a small campfire in a clearing. It was visible from the path, but would be hard to spot by anyone coming up the floor of the Gorge.

"Looks like the others got there ahead of us," Tordek said, pointing. Their three companions were clearly visible in the clearing, though Mialee stood back a bit from the heavily armored Alhandra and Jozan. Three orc fighters were visible, and more were spilling out from the tents.

"We'd better hurry," Regdar said, half-sprinting, half-falling down the rest of the path towards the battle.

"Wouldn't want to miss all the fun," Tordek said to his axe as he followed the human warrior into the fray.

* * *

Alhandra and Jozan braced themselves as the first three orcs charged. Their shields deflected every blow, then Alhandra's sword and Jozan's mace struck back in answer. The cleric's weapon struck one orc squarely in the head with a sickening thunk, while at exactly the same instant, the paladin's sword cleanly severed the other orc's neck. The third orc, its momentum carrying it on, had no time to stop, or even cry out in surprise. The next moment, it too was dead, with Alhandra's sword through its black heart.

But the fight was not over. Orcs were charging out of both tents, armed with swords and spears. The armored crusaders, cleric of Pelor and paladin of Trithereon, caught a glimpse in the distance of Tordek and Regdar charging down the hill beyond the orc camp.

"They're about to get hit from behind," Alhandra warned, eyeing the advancing orcs carefully.

"We'll catch them between us, just like we'd planned," Jozan said.

Regdar and Tordek hit the group of orcs from the rear like a wave of steel, bringing down four of the creatures before they could even turn to face them. Regdar's sword sliced cleanly through the neck of an orc, and his swing kept right on going, to imbed the point of his sword in the back of another spear-wielding orc. Tordek's initial assault resulted in similar success, felling one orc from behind with a swing of his two-headed axe, and killing another with the back-hand slash.

But there were more than a few orcs in the camp. Three who had planned to flank Alhandra instead turned to face Regdar and Tordek.

The largest of the orcs wielded not a spear or sword, but a giant, two-handed orcish battle-axe. More like a polearm than an axe, it had deadly-sharp axe-heads on both ends of a short staff. Apparently the leader of the camp, this orc wore a black cloak adorned with a skull-shaped brooch, and was clad in armor of dull-black scale mail rather than the motley assortment of leather and hide worn by the other orc guards. It advanced on Alhandra, baring its fangs in a vengeful snarl, and growling something in its own language.

"Cursing me won't help you," Alhandra said bravely, planting her legs and squaring off against the foe.

The orc chieftain rushed the paladin, bringing its axe in high. Alhandra was surprised by the strength and cunning of the orc, but she remained calm, blocking one axehead with her shield, and parrying the other with her sword. She quickly spun around, using one of the many sword-fighting techniques she'd learned long ago in the training yards of her order, and scored the first hit, drawing a wide slash across the orc's abdomen. It howled in frustration and returned the favor, powering past Alhandra's shield and striking a blow to her neck. Her metal armor saved her life, but the paladin's head rang from the force of the blow. It gave the orc the moment it needed to bring the other end of its axe up and around. Alhandra tried to parry the second attack, but only managed to deflect the blow. It was enough, but the move left her slightly off balance. The big orc brought up its knee into Alhandra's midsection. The dirty move did little more than knock the wind out of her, but the orc's greater mass knocked her to the ground. She barely managed to keep her hold on her sword.

With a howl of victory, the orc chieftain stepped forward, bearing down on Alhandra. He raised his double-headed axe for a powerful blow, but suddenly the big orc went rigid. The monster looked down at its chest, to see her sword had pierced its armor up to the hilts. The great axe slipped from the orc's dead claws as it fell over atop Alhandra.

Jozan was left fighting a pair of orcs on his own. Although the battle-priest was used to being in the forefront, his skill in battle was not on the same level as the other warriors of the company, and he was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. His two opponents pressed towards him simultaneously, each trying to get a thrust in beneath his shield, or through the defenses of his mail. Jozan stepped back to avoid them, then stepped back again. But all his concentration was focused on the swords and eyes of the two orcs, and he failed to notice a tree root sticking out of the ground behind him. With a startled cry, the cleric tripped and fell over backward.

The two orcs yelped with vicious glee and leapt on the fallen cleric. Jozan only just managed to roll away from their swords, coming up with his back to the tree. One of the orcs managed to get in a hit, piercing Jozan's armor and drawing blood along his left side. The cleric grimaced in pain.

Mialee was not far away, and saw that Jozan was in some trouble. So far, the magic-user had not been engaged by any of the orcs, and she had tried for the most part to stay out of the way of the combat. The elf had not been terribly useful so far, having stayed out of combat as best she could, and she wanted to make some contribution to the battle. But she didn't want to waste any of her magical power against underlings when traditional steel would suffice. Fighting orcs was not particularly risky to her friends, especially orcs like these, which seemed to be untrained. But still, combat with edged weapons always held an element of danger, and Mialee hated to make her companions bear the whole brunt of it.

Seeing Jozan in trouble, the elven wizardess decided to take action. She raised her quarterstaff and rushed at the two orcs who were looming over Jozan, their swords poised to strike. She hit one of the unsuspecting orcs soundly at the base of the neck, cracking bones. The impact jarred her hands, and she nearly lost her grip on her staff. The orc turned to face her. She had hoped to bring down the orc with one blow, but now she found herself facing an angry, sword-wielding humanoid. For a moment, Mialee felt a panic- she wasn't confident she'd survive in a direct fight. But then the orc's eyes rolled back in its head, and her opponent slumped to the ground. Her blow had rendered the orc unconscious after all.

Mialee's intervention was just the distraction Jozan needed to regain the upper hand. "My thanks," he called out to Mialee, bringing his mace around in a horizontal swing that went under the other orc's shield. The impact crushed the monster's thigh, where its hide armor was relatively thin, and the orc fell to the ground, wounded now and scrambling to get away. "I hope the dark gods enjoy feasting on your soul," Jozan said to the orc as he finished it off. "If you even have one."

Mialee noticed that the orc she had stunned had gotten to its feet and retrieved its weapon. Rather than fight her, the creature turned and fled further into the Gorge. She turned to face the fleeing orc, and raised her hands in the beginnings of an arcane gesture. She spoke the ancient draconic words of power and extended her arms towards her target, palms outward. Six tiny bolts of pure magic materialized in her hands and streaked unerringly towards the orc, flying faster than arrows. The blue magic missiles hit the orc in the back an instant later, splashing soundlessly into its armor. The creature sprawled on the ground, dead.

"Don't waste your magic," Regdar called out, taking a moment before finishing what seemed to be the last of the orcs. "Soveliss and Lidda are out there. They'll take care of any stragglers."

Calmly, Mialee folded her arms across her chest. "I never waste magic," she said, under her breath.

Jozan and Tordek rushed over to the fallen paladin. "Alhandra, are you all right?"

"I will be fine," she said, lifting her visor and shoving the corpse of the dead orc chieftain away. Her armor was splattered with orc blood.

"Glad to hear it, lass," Tordek said, helping the woman to her feet. "I saw you fighting this big fellow. That was a duel worthy of a dwarf-lord."

"Heh, thank you, I guess," she replied, grimacing at the orc blood smeared across the front of her breastplate.

Jozan finished his quick examination of Alhandra's condition. "You'll be fine, my lady," he said, patting the armored woman on the shoulder.

"Perhaps now you should tend to your own wounds," she answered, pointing to the bloody slash along Jozan's side.

Regdar, too, had come over to see how she was. "Alhandra, what happened to the other orc outpost back there? You got here much quicker than we did. Did you walk right past them?" He glanced uneasily back the way they had come, searching for signs of any orcs they might have missed on their way into the Gorge.

"Relax, Regdar," the lady paladin said. "We found them alright- they were already dead, feathered with an arrow and a bolt."

Regdar nodded. "Soveliss and Lidda got them on their way in?"

Alhandra nodded. "I don't think any of the orcs managed to escape," she said, cleaning her sword on a tent flap. "We may still have the element of surprise on our side."

The fighter then turned and looked the other way, past the orc tents, deeper into the ravine. "I wonder where Soveliss and Lidda are, then?"

Next to their campfire, the orcs had pounded a tall stake into the ground. Some sort of grim tribal totem adorned the top, along with an unused horn. Tordek picked it up. "Not very good sentries, I'd say. Didn't even bother to sound an alarm."

"We should make a quick search of the camp before we move on," Jozan suggested. It was their common practice after battle. "There might be something here we could use, don't you agree, Regdar? Regdar?"

The warrior was looking up the Gorge with a puzzled look on his face. Not far beyond the orc camp, the wooded canyon turned towards the left. A dense mist hung there, covering the entire width of the Gorge like a wall. He peered intently at the strange mist, shading his eyes. The mist covered the trees, hiding everything from view in an impenetrable cloud. There was no sign of the ranger or the thief. "Where in the Nine Hells are Soveliss and Lidda?"

* * *

"Lidda, quiet!" Soveliss whispered. "I think I hear swordplay."

"Let me reload, would you?"

Soveliss already had an arrow on his bowstring. The two were hiding amongst the trees, in the Gorge beyond the orcs. They had a clear view of the camp, and no orcs were yet moving in the tents. But the strange mist that practically loomed over their hiding place was troubling them.

Lidda finished loading her crossbow and turned to look into the mist. She could almost reach out and touch it, and yet they couldn't see what lay inside it, or what caused it. She scowled. "I think I see shapes moving in there…"

Soveliss took his eyes off the camp for a moment to glance uneasily towards the wall of mist. "Stop staring into it, Lidda," he said quietly. "Obviously, it's magical. Best we let Mialee and Jozan handle it later."

Lidda nodded, but continued looking into the mist. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

The halfling turned her head and listened. "There's music."

"Music?" Soveliss said, but then he, too, noticed the sound. "You're right, I do hear something. Lidda, wait! Where are you going?" He tried to grab Lidda by the arm, but she slipped from his grasp.

Her comrades forgotten, the halfling walked slowly into the mist.

"Lidda!" Soveliss called out, but the little thief had disappeared. The elf hesitated a moment. He could clearly hear the sounds of battle back at the orc camp. He and Lidda were supposed to aid the attack on the orc camp with their arrows, but the halfling had wandered off into the mist. He cursed. With a worried glance at the misty wall, Soveliss left Lidda and went silently down into the camp to get the others.


	3. Chapter Three: Harpies

CHAPTER THREE: HARPIES

When the six companions finally emerged from the mist, they found themselves in a much different Gorge. Gone was the lush vegetation- here the walls were barren rock, dark and sharp-edged. The walls of the ravine rose even higher than they had before, leaving the narrow creekbed in even darker shadows.

"She said she heard music," Soveliss explained to Regdar. "I think I heard it, too."

"Well, we didn't hear anything as we passed through the mist."

"I know," Soveliss said. He scanned the surrounding rocks for any sign of Lidda, but saw nothing.

"What did this music sound like?"

The elf thought for a moment. "Soothing, lilting music, as from afar off. Like nothing I've heard since I was a child. It reminded me of my home." Then the faraway look disappeared from his eyes, and Soveliss looked sternly at Regdar. "You entrusted me to look after the halfling, and I have failed. I want to go on ahead and look for her."

"You tried to stop her from walking into the mist, Soveliss," Regdar said. "Remember, this gorge is full of ancient and dangerous magic- it's not your fault."

The ranger nodded. "Still, I want to go out and search. Lidda could be in danger."

"I know how you feel, Soveliss." The fighter turned to the others. "Standard formation," he barked. "Mialee and Jozan in the middle, Tordek, you guard the rear. Alhandra, up front with me. Sove is going on ahead to scout for us. This is the perfect place for an ambush, so keep your eyes open." The others hurried to obey- when Regdar spoke with that tone of voice, they all knew the time for battle was fast approaching. "Let's find our friend."

Alhandra walked alongside Regdar for a time, warily eyeing the looming walls of the gorge as they proceeded. She remained silent, her reproving glances making Regdar feel guilty about Lidda's disappearance. They had to find the halfling and get her back. Soveliss had nearly disappeared up ahead, almost invisible beneath his elven cloak.

"The sense of evil is stronger here," Alhandra said. "It lies faintly upon this entire place. Every step we take brings us closer to its source."

"You think we're walking into a trap?"

"I don't know. There is some sorcerery here. After the mist-wall, I am sure of that. But it does not feel like the evil I am used to. I think the Ancient One has not set foot here before. This is something else."

Regdar spared a moment to glance over at Alhandra. Like everything else from her homeland, her once-proud armor of half-plate was dented and tarnished, yet it still served its purpose. She would never think of wearing anything else. Every imperfection in her armor held a memory for her, of a comrade fallen or a foe defeated. He knew that somewhere beneath that battered and scarred armor was a beautiful and truly noble-hearted woman, but she rarely opened up, even to her companions after many harrowing adventures. "I know that as a paladin, Trithereon has given you the ability to sense evil in the people and things around you. How fine are your senses? Can you really discern the source of evil, or merely its presense?"

She did not look at him as she answered. "I can sense the strength of evil, in a place, or in a man's heart, but I cannot tell its source. Here, the evil is real, and it is all around us now, but it is not strong. From that, I can only deduce that it is very old."

"How do you do it?"

She frowned. "It is difficult to put into words, what you ask. It is something I must will myself to do, and the sensing requires some concentration to maintain."

"So it is like one of Jozan's prayers, where he calls upon his deity?"

"It is not like that. My prayers usually go unanswered." Alhandra shook her head. "But my ability to detect evil has never once let me down. It is more like a second sight, though not really. I don't see malignancy with my eyes, like a stain on the land. I just feel it in my heart, or know in my head that it is there."

"But how exactly does this gift work?"

"That is a question I cannot answer, Regdar," the paladin said, keeping her cold blue eyes on the cliffs about them. "Trithereon has chosen me, not the other way around. His church in the world has proclaimed that this is indeed my destiny. In their eyes, I am an anointed warrior of Trithereon, endowed to dispense justice in the name of holy writ. By what means the priests know this, I cannot say. Perhaps Jozan could better explain them to you."

"Probably right," Regdar agreed. He paused awkwardly for a moment, but whatever he was about to say was suddenly forgotten. A shadow passed quickly across the sun, and they heard the sound of flapping wings. "Beware, overhead!"

Looking up, the companions saw three dark winged shapes taking flight from atop the canyon wall. The three creatures spun lazily for a moment, then swooped, diving towards the adventurers. They appeared as some hideous cross-breed between a crone and a winged lizard from the dawn of time. The harpies had leathery wings and legs like some bird-lizard, but their heads and torsos were those of old women. Their wrinkled faces were contorted in screams of hate, their eyes malevolent and hungry.

Then, from somewhere high in the rocks, they heard the beginnings of an entrancing song. A fourth harpy remained atop the cliff, singing rather than attacking. Regdar paused to listen. For a moment he forgot the three foul harpies flying towards him, claws extended. Just as Soveliss had described, the song coming from somewhere above was enchanting. It reminded him of fond memories from his youth, and inspired in him hopes of better things to come. Regdar could not believe such a fair, peaceful song could come from such hideous-looking creatures. Then he realized that these creatures were really perhaps not so evil as he had first thought.

"Harpies," said Alhandra, bracing herself for the attack. Then she noticed Regdar, just standing beside her looking up. She promptly bashed him over the side of his helm with her shield. "Stop listening to them," she barked. "We must fight them."

Regdar blinked and shook his head. Alhandra's blow might have leveled a lesser man, but Regdar stayed on his feet, his head ringing. The pain brought him back to his senses, and he drew his sword. Alhandra smiled at him, and drew her own sword as well.

Regdar looked back, thinking to sound out a warning to the others, but he saw that there was no need. Mialee and Jozan had already deduced the nature of their attackers, and seen the enchantment beginning to fall over Tordek as well. Elf and cleric tackled the dwarf, who was too entranced to protest much. Jozan pummeled him into distraction, shouting the holy words of Pelor at the top of his lungs, while Mialee tore a long strip from her cloak and bound it tightly around Tordek's ears.

"My thanks," grunted the dwarf. "Now, get OFF me and let me AT THEM!"

Jozan and Mialee grinned and moved aside. Tordek stood, straightened his helm, picked up his axe, and looked up, just as the three harpies swooped down on them.

Regdar shouted a great war cry that echoed off the walls of the gorge. He took careful aim at one of the three onrushing harpies, then swung the Sword of Kings in a great arc. His magical bastard sword struck one of the harpies a solid blow, completely severing one arm and one wing, and knocking the foul creature from the sky. Harpy blood splattered the ground like rain, covering Regdar's helm and armor in a gruesome spray.

The enraged beast turned and leapt at Regdar, surprising him with the fury of her attack. The big warrior couldn't imagine the harpy had any fight left in her after the damage he'd done with his sword, but obviously he was wrong. He managed to get his sword up in time to fend off the wounded creature, but his ears rang from the screeching. He backhanded the harpy with the armored spikes on his forearm, opening a gash across the harpy's collarbone. Then, with his right hand, he brought his sword down in a powerful slash, finally splitting the monster from chin to crotch.

Beside him, Alhandra raised her shield as a second winged monster dove at her. The harpy's claws raked her shield, and the thing made such a screech it nearly deafened the paladin. But Alhandra was a skilled swordswoman, and in the briefest of moments spied an opening as the harpy flew over her head. She thrust upward with her sword, opening a bloody wound in the monster's abdomen. Wings flapping, the harpy screamed in pain and anger, then darted back up into the air, poised for another attack.

Alhandra crouched behind her shield, calmly eying her opponent. The wounded harpy was not yet finished, flapping in the air above her. Alhandra taunted the foul creature with her eyes, and the paladin was not disappointed. The harpy descended on her with a horrible cry that echoed off the walls of the gorge. Alhandra met the attack with her shield, striking hard and fast into the belly of the monster. The harpy screamed and convulsed, pounding uselessly against the paladin's armor, clawing for an opening. But Alhandra's well-made armor served her well, and the monster snarled in futility. In an instant, she struck again, impaling the horrid creature. Alhandra stepped back and let the dead harpy fall to the ground.

The third harpy swooped down on Jozan, missing with her talons, but bowling him over with the force of the impact. Tordek swung at the creature with his axe as it passed, and Mialee tried to hit the thing down with her staff, but the harpy screeched and flew up beyond their reach. Tordek hopped up and down in frustration. Each time he swung, the harpy flew back, just above his reach. Jozan and Mialee were more calm, and quickly decided that a magical solution was in order.

At a brief nod from Jozan, Mialee moved in beside Tordek to provide a little extra distraction. She had a little more reach with her staff, although her upward stabs served only to anger their foe. But Jozan quickly whispered a prayer to Pelor and, confident he would be answered, pointed a hand at the monster. There was a pulse of magic, barely perceptible to those in the mortal plane of existence, but it manifested in an instant as a swarm of golden motes around the harpy's eyes.

"She's blinded," Jozan called out, readying his mace. "Now's your chance."

Tordek heard, and smiled. Leaping up as high as he could, he managed to slice into the harpy's leg with the blade of his axe. About the same instant, Mialee brought her quarterstaff around in a wide arc, smacking the harpy in the side. Blinded, confused and angry, the harpy descended rather than taking flight, and the dwarf was at last able to land a hearty blow. His axe chopped through the monster's abdomen, crunching bones. Mialee ended the creature with a bludgeoning smash to the head.

Somewhere far above them, the fourth harpy still perched atop the cliff, singing her alluring song.

"Come on," Regdar ordered, pointing his sword upward. "Lidda might still be alive. We've got to find a way up there."

The others agreed. Lidda, for all her faults, had always been a loyal member of the company. They all hated to think the poor halfling had finally met her end in the nest of some foul harpy.

"She's got to be around here somewhere," Jozan said. Then, the cleric frowned. "Hey, where's Soveliss?"

* * *

Grimly determined, Soveliss scaled the side of the Gorge. The elf's lips were set tightly in a grimace of concentration as he struggled against the allure of the song from the lone harpy above, the noise pounding in his skull. He ignored the sounds of battle from below him- Regdar and the others would have to deal with the harpies down there without him. His mind was focused on a single task- killing the fourth harpy and rescuing Lidda. He could only hope he'd arrive in time, and with his wits still about him.

Soveliss reached upward with his left hand to grab an outcropping when suddenly the rock pulled free, showering the ranger with dirt and dust. He slid alarmingly down the cliff. He spread his arms and legs to slow his fall, managing to find a new handhold and halt his descent. He spared a moment to look back over his shoulder. The fall had cost him only a few feet. He adjusted the bow and quiver on his back and continued his climb.

He could see the last harpy now. The hideous beast had finally stopped her infernal singing, and screeched in feral rage at the fate of her sisters below. The harpy perched on a narrow ledge, about halfway up the steep wall of the gorge. From below, the place would be almost invisible. The ledge looked just big enough for the four harpies to nest. Soveliss snarled and scrambled up the last bit of the climb.

Then, he saw a sight which raised his spirits- a boot. Not something a harpy would wear- those fell harrigans had no need for footwear. It was a halfling's boot, black and scuffed. Lidda! With a cry of vengeance, Soveliss used all his wiry elven strength to heave himself up the last bit of the climb and onto the ledge. He stood face to face with the angry harpy.

The moster stopped in mid-squawk, clearly startled. Up close, the harpy was a disgusting, stinking monstrous creature, with fell, batlike wings and crooked bird-like legs mottled with dirty feathers. Her grotesque torso was vaguely human, with sagging flesh and crusted with dirt and scabs. Her hair was unkempt and matted with filth, and her face contorted in such a mask of hatred Soveliss couldn't believe such a creature was capable of singing a song beautiful enough to entrance any reasoning creature.

The ranger took advantage of his opponent's momentary surprise. He drew his sword and slashed at the harpy, drawing blood and an ear-splitting shriek of rage. "Die, witch," the elf snarled, stepping protectively over Lidda's prone form. He held his sword ready, poised either to strike or parry, and drew a dagger with his other hand. "By the gods, you're ugly!"

The harpy leapt into the air, simultaneously raking Soveliss across the chest. But the ranger was ready. Not wanting to let his quarry escape, he ignored his wound and slashed at the harpy again, this time with both weapons. His sword bit into the creature's feathered thigh, drawing blood but inflicting only minor damage. His dagger, though, dealt a more telling blow. His knife pierced the base of the harpy's wing, severing nerves and tendons and hopefully impairing the creature's ability to fly off and escape.

"Lidda, wake up," Soveliss said, nudging the halfling's body with his foot. He didn't dare take his attention off his opponent, but he tried to look at Lidda out of the corner of his eye. The halfling didn't stir. "Wake up, lass! The cavalry's here."

The wounded harpy kept the ranger at bay with another swipe of her talons, while reaching back to feel the wound above her shoulder. The muscles at the base of the wing were severed and bleeding- there'd be no more flying. The harpy spared a glance over the ledge and hissed in rage.

Soveliss smiled. "My friends are climbing up now, aren't they, harpy? Your days are almost at an end." He didn't know whether the creature could even understand him, but his taunts still had the desire effect, or else desperation had finally overcome the harpy's senses. With a final angry shriek, she leapt at Soveliss, claws outstretched and fangs bared.

The ranger had little trouble ending the creature's life. The fighting done, he knelt down beside the halfling. "Lidda, wake up. It's me, Soveliss." Gently but firmly, he shook the leather-clad halfling. With the eye of a skilled healer, he searched her body for signs of injury. He saw none. "Everything's all right, Lidda. The harpies are gone. You're safe now. Wake up!"

To his great relief, the little halfling opened her eyes at last. Lidda sat up. "Sove?"

The elf grinned. "Lidda!"

She rubbed her head painfully as she assessed the bloody carnage and filth beside her on the ledge. She turned back to face Soveliss. "Got anything to eat?"

Soveliss laughed and shook his head.

After quickly searching the ledge, and confiscating what few bits of treasure the harpies had hidden in their nest, Soveliss and Lidda climbed back down and joined the others.

"Welcome back, Lidda," Tordek said, clasping the little halfling in a crushing bear-hug. The others crowded around the two as they reached the floor of the Gorge.

Regdar clasped hands with the elf. "That was bravely done, Soveliss."

"Well, I couldn't go on without knowing what had become of our little thief." He ruffled Lidda's hair.

"If one more person messes up my hair, they're going to get a dagger where the sun doesn't shine." The little rogue was somewhat taken aback by the warm greetings the others gave her, even gruff Tordek, but the companionship warmed her heart. She wasn't about to let them know it, though. "Are you people done blubbering? We have a job to do, you know. Regdar, are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to do what we came to do?"

"Uhm, right," the big warrior said. "Let's go." He turned and led the company onward into the Gorge.


	4. Chapter Four: Crossing the Chasm

CHAPTER FOUR: CROSSING THE CHASM

The seven companions cautiously rounded the bend, and suddenly found themselves at the end of the Gorge. The steep walls of the hills rose like cliffs all around them. They had reached a sort of cul-de-sac, a dead end. Splitting the clearing was a massive chasm, wider than anyone could possibly hope to leap. But there was a bridge, a rickety-looking affair of rope and wooden planks, only wide enough to be crossed in single file.

At the other end of the bridge, on the far side of the chasm, the adventurers saw a cave at the base of the cliff. It was a squarish opening in the side of the hill, with dragons carved in bas-relief at the sides and top. The opening was large, perhaps twice the height of a man. Inside the cave was dark.

But closer to where they stood, the adventurers saw something which caused them to draw their weapons. On the near side of the chasm, near the entrance to the bridge, there was a large, crude hut. Smoke curled upward from the chimney.

"That's one big cottage," Lidda said, a little nervously. The hut was much bigger than a normal human would have used.

"I wonder who lives there," Jozan asked.

His question was answered almost immediately. The door of the shack was flung open, and from the doorway emerged, stooping, a massive, giant-sized creature. "Who goes there?"

The adventurers' eyes widened in surprise at what they saw. The guardian of the bridge straightened to its full height and regarded them with unquestioned malice- and hunger. It was a two-headed giant. The ettin wore nothing but a huge loincloth of fur wrapped around its middle, and in its two giant hands wielded a club so large it could have been an uprooted tree. In fact, it probably was. The two heads turned to face the adventurers, fangs bared. "Ah," the left head of the ettin laughed. "My supper!"

"No, MY supper," said the right head.

The left-side head frowned in consternation. "It wuz my idea to live here, so I get to eat first."

The right-side head rolled its eyes. "Lookit, there's enough of them to go around. There's one, two, three-" That was about as high as an ettin could count, but both heads agreed that the party of heroes represented a veritable feast.

"There's a lot more'n three of 'em," the left-side head said, grinning. "I dunno if they'll all fit in our pot!"

"Who cares," laughed the other head. "Anything's bettern harpy for dinner. Let's get 'em!"

Regdar was thinking the same thing, and he raised his sword and charged. Tordek was right beside him on the left, wielding his dwarven axe, and Alhandra was beside him on the right, ready with shield and sword. Soveliss and Lidda split off, to either side, preparing to flank the creature or attack it with missile weapons. Lidda made for the chasm while Soveliss angled towards the steep side of the Gorge. Jozan wasn't sure yet what role he could play in fighting such a huge foe, so he hung back, raising his crossbow. Mialee knew that an ettin was a formidable monster, so she drew a treasured wand out of her belt.

Regdar and Tordek struck at almost the same time, biting deep into the legs of the ettin with bastard sword and dwarven war axe. Arrows and bolts thunked into its massive torso from Soveliss, Jozan and Lidda, and a cluster of bluish magic missiles streaked from Mialee's wand to impact the ettin's midsection.

The ettin howled in pain. Blood poured down its hairy legs from the slashes cut into its thighs. The wounds the two fighters had inflicted were deep and painful, but hardly enough to bring the thing down. It swatted in annoyance at the rain of missiles, both magical and mundane, which swarmed at it from all directions. Then, the creature raised its club with both hands. With surprising speed, it swung.

Regdar couldn't get out of the way in time. The massive club impacted him squarely in the shoulder, denting his armor and knocking him to the ground. Blood oozed from between the plates of his armor. Regdar struggled to rise.

Alhandra stepped in front of the fighter, giving him the moment he needed to stagger to his feet. She slashed at the arm of the ettin, drawing blood. "Reg, are you all right?"

"Damn this thing," the warrior cursed, spitting blood. "That hurt."

"Then let me cut it down to size for ya," Tordek yelled. Raising his great axe overhead, he planted his feet and swung as hard as he could.

The ettin, surprisingly nimble, laughed and jumped out of the way. "You next, stunty!" The monster brought its club around again, aiming for the wide-eyed dwarf. The blow hit Tordek smack in the chest, and sent him flying through the air. He landed on his back, and skidded a few more feet before finally coming to a stop- just inches from the edge of the chasm.

Lidda was nearby, and she grabbed Tordek's cloak to make sure he didn't fall in. "That was close," she said, reloading her crossbow for another shot.

"Grrr!" Tordek leapt to his feet, ignoring the pain of his cracked ribs. "That thing dented my armor!" His face reddened with rage, the sturdy fighter charged back into the fray.

Soveliss had found a vantage point that allowed him a clear shot of the ettin's flank, and he pumped arrows into the monster as quickly as he could. Jozan, taking stock of the massive damage the ettin could inflict, fired his crossbow then quickly prepared a spell of healing. Someone was going to need it.

"Now you, shiny fella," the ettin's left-side head chuckled, looking down at the armor-clad paladin. The ettin didn't have much association with humans, so it had mistaken Alhandra for a male knight. It struck at her with its club.

Alhandra bravely stood her ground and raised her shield. She caught the full weight of the ettin's massive strike, and the blow knocked her to the ground, just as it had the others. Her shield was badly damaged, and her arm was probably broken, but when the ettin looked, expecting to find her lying dead, it blinked. Alhandra yet lived.

"Trithereon help me," the paladin said, weakly, as she thrust at one of the ettin's necks. There was blood in her eyes, but faith guided her hand and her sword pierced the monster's throat. The ettin clapped one hand to the wound and drew back, staggering in pain. Then, the armor-clad woman collapsed to the ground.

Jozan saw that Alhandra was actually much worse off than she seemed. Keeping an eye on the ettin, the cleric darted forward and pulled the wounded paladin back out of reach of the monster's stomping feet. Mialee, firing magical missiles from her wand, stood guard over the two as the cleric prayed for the divine power to heal Alhandra's wounds. "You'll be all right," he said.

"My thanks," Alhandra said, shaking her head. Then, her eyes widened. "Look out!"

Jozan straightened and leapt aside. The ettin was looming over him, club raised to strike at the cleric.

Regdar and Tordek, back on their feet, took advantage of the ettin's distraction to drive their blades deeply into the thing's hide. Regdar aimed for the abdomen, and his sword went in up to the hilts. Tordek went again for the leg, and this time his axe chopped so deeply through bone and muscle he almost severed the limb.

The ettin was too stupid to realize it was about to die. Roaring with pain, it stomped and bashed in a frenzy. The adventurers scrambled, either to get out of the way or to position themselves for a telling blow.

At last, it was a determined Tordek who, swinging his dwarven axe with both hands, brought down the ettin. A single swipe of his axe cut through the thing's leg below the knee, sending the giant sprawling to the ground. Regdar and Alhandra leapt on the fallen monster, brandishing their swords, and stabbed deep into its vitals. Soveliss, smiling, sent a last arrow into the monster's ear, where it stuck.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, and slowly the adventurers began to stir.

"Is it dead?" Lidda asked, lowering her crossbow.

"As a doorknob," Tordek said, grinning. The dwarf leapt atop the ettin.

"Let's search the thing for treasure and move on," Regdar said. "Somebody take a look inside his cottage, look for anything valuable or unusual."

In a few moments, that was accomplished. Lidda, crowing excitedly, found a strangely-colored patch of dirt on the floor inside the shack. Tordek came over and quickly announced it was fresh dirt- the signs pointed to something buried beneath it. The dwarf brought out his digging tools, and soon they had unearthed the ettin's treasure- a rotten sack containing a mound of gold and silver coins. The adventurers quickly divided this small treasure between them, and, when nothing else of interest could be found, they assembled near the bridge and prepared to cross the chasm.

"Lidda should go across first," Mialee suggested.

The halfling took one look into the chasm and clenched her fists. "Why do I have to be the one who crosses the bridge first? Because I'm the thief? You all think I don't pull my own weight around here, don't you? So, whenever there's a dirty job to be done, it's 'let's send Lidda'. Whenever there's a certain death situation, it's 'let's send the thief- if she dies, we won't be out much." She scowled and turned her back on the others.

"It's because you're the lightest," Regdar said.

"And the nimblest," Tordek added.

"Lidda, it's not like that at all," Jozan said. "You've long since earned our respect, no matter what your, ahem, previous profession might have been. We all know you pull your own weight."

Soveliss, who stood near the bridge at the very lip of the chasm, peered down into the depths below. He raised his eyebrows. It was a long way to the bottom. He studied the bridge for a moment. "It's all right, Lidda," he said. "If you don't want to cross first, I can understand that. I'll go across." The elf began removing his pack.

Lidda whirled on the ranger. "Don't give me any of that over-protective bargle, Soveliss. Honestly, you people drive me crazy sometimes." She elbowed the elf out of her way and put her feet on the bridge, one hand on each of the rope railings. "I don't need anyone looking out for me. If it's my job to cross every hazard first, then that's what I'll do. But I expect to be compensated, mark my words." She set out across the rickety-looking bridge, muttering curse-words in the cant of thieves under her breath.

Soveliss looked at the others and shrugged and put his pack back on.

The bridge barely sagged at all under Lidda's weight, though the ropes creaked and the wood planks of the walkway gave slightly with each step. No one had crossed this bridge in a long time, but it felt sound enough. It swayed a little from the wind coming down the chasm, but structurally is seemed the bridge would hold. With each cautious step, Lidda examined the bridge for traps or signs of weakness, but she saw none.

Halfway across the span, she stopped. She paused only long enough to spare a quick backward glance. The others were there, weapons ready, scanning the far side of the chasm for any sign of danger. Taking a deep breath, the thief resumed her crossing.

As she neared the far side, Lidda looked up and focused her attention on the opposite bank. The ominous cave was much larger than it had appeared from the other side. It looked like a natural cave that had been augmented with stonework. A massive lintel spanned the top of the opening, supported by squarish columns on either side, giving the cave mouth the appearance of a door or portal. The stonework, she could see from up close, was carved with stylized dragons and indecipherable runes. She'd have to check that more closely once she'd crossed. She'd seen glyph traps before, and this seemed the perfect place for such protections, if there were any.

The interior of the cave, what she could see of it, was shrouded in darkness. Lidda couldn't make out anything in the darkness within- something else she'd have to examine more closely, but that could probably wait until the others had crossed as well.

Lidda finally set one foot on the gravel at the far end of the bridge, then another. She breathed a sigh of relief. "It's safe," she called back, keeping an eye on the dark cave ahead of her. "Come on across."

Regdar didn't wait for Lidda's call. As soon as the halfling set foot on the far side of the chasm, he was moving across the bridge. It swayed a lot more under his weight than it had for the little thief, but he just kept a firm grip on the side ropes with both hands and tried not to look down. "Wait until I'm halfway across before the next person comes," he said. "We don't want to all be on this bridge at the same time."

Behind him, Soveliss nodded. The elf stood beside the bridge, bow in hand, an arrow nocked. He scanned the cliff walls all about them for more harpies, or signs of any other danger. He saw nothing. On the far side, Lidda stood out in the open, fidgeting nervously, waiting for Regdar to join her. Tordek had two feet on the bridge already, waiting impatiently for the other fighter to pass the halfway mark.

Soveliss frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he'd seen something. Something moved on the far side of the chasm. He saw nothing, and tried to peer into the cave with his elvensight. He couldn't see anything, but if something was stirring in the cave, he needed to be alert. Lidda had her back to the cave, foolishly. Soveliss raised his bow and drew the string back to his ear.

"What is it?" Jozan asked.

"I thought I saw something," the elf muttered, his eyes locked on the dark portal beyond the chasm. Soveliss was about to call out a warning to Regdar and Lidda when his eyes widened. Something was stirring in the darkness of the cave- something huge. "Lidda! Look out!"

Lidda sensed something was coming behind her even before she heard Soveliss' warning. She heard the soft shuffle of paws on stone. The halfling spun and leapt aside, rolling and coming up in a crouch. A great wind buffeted her, and out of the silent cave emerged the most enormous creature she had ever seen.

It wasn't a dragon, but it might as well have been. It was a massive beast, the twisted result of some mad wizard's experiments, or the result of some cruel god's impulses. It had three heads- goat, dragon and lion. It had wings, with the forelegs of a lion and the hindquarters of a goat, and a serpentine tail. The chimera bounded out of the cave and flew into the air with a roar.

Regdar almost fell off the bridge, but he managed to retain his grip. He saw Lidda jump aside as the chimera emerged from its lair. Thankfully, the thing had taken flight, rather than sitting perched at the far end of the bridge. Then, he would have had no choice but to stay on the bridge and fight. But the chimera instead flew above him, giving Regdar the few moments he needed to sprint to solid ground on the far side. He drew his sword and turned to face the monster.

Tordek was not so lucky. The impatient dwarf was already partway out on the narrow bridge, and the chimera was flying straight towards him. Going forward was not an option, and going back never occurred to him. Instead, he pulled a rope from his belt and lashed himself to the bridge. Then he took hold of his axe.

Still on the near side of the gorge, Jozan gawked at the monster that flew above the chasm. "By Pelor, what sort of monster is that thing, a dragon?" he asked, drawing his mace.

"A chimera," Mialee said. "Not quite as cunning or deadly, but still nasty."

"We can't fight it with half of us here and half on the other side," Soveliss warned, noting the teeth and claws of the thing as it flew. "We've got to keep it busy long enough for Tordek to get off the bridge."

"Tordek, get back here!" Jozan shouted.

Alhandra drew her sword and stood at the edge of the chasm. "I'll get its attention."

The chimera was bred to be a guardian, not a predator. Its wings, like a dragon's in shape and size, were not really the wings of a dragon. They enabled the monster to fly, but not gracefully, and its bulk was too much for it to do more than glide. But that was enough.

Over the chasm, the three heads of the chimera looked down on the scene below. The lion's head roared at the intruders, the goats head lowered its horns, and the dragon head swiveled to face the lone adventurer stranded on the bridge- a dwarf in scale armor. The chimera opened its dragon-mouth, inhaled, and spewed a stream of bright, burning orange flames at the dwarf.

Tordek was caught completely by surprise when the creature suddenly enveloped him in its breath weapon. He gritted his teeth as his flesh burned and his armor smoked. His hair and beard burst into flames, the stench sickening him. His cloak was crisped, and his backpack smoldered. The bridge, nothing more than rope and wood, went up like the tinder that it was. The ropes holding it together vaporized, and suddenly Tordek felt himself falling. The dwarf snarled in defiance, and struggled to hold on to the bridge. He managed to hold on to a part of the bridge that was still attached to the far side. As he swung down, he caught a glimpse of Regdar and Lidda, looking down at him from the edge. Then, the remains of the bridge slammed into the wall of the chasm.

"That was lucky," Tordek muttered. Looking up, he could see that enough of the rope bridge survived that he could climb up to where Regdar and Lidda were waiting. If the chimera would let him be, anyway. Taking a deep breath, the burned and battered fighter began to inch his way up the side of the chasm.

"Hold on, Tordek," Regdar called down from above. "We'll find you a rope!"

"Forget about that," the dwarf called back. "I can climb this myself. Get your bow and shoot that thing!" Then, Tordek remembered he already had a rope. He had used it to lash himself to the bridge. There it was, one end still attached to his belt. He expected to see the other end dangling below him, crisped like the rest of the bridge. But it wasn't. Instead, his rope remained intact. Somehow, it had survived the chimera's breath weapon, and the slack had paid out as he rode the ruined bridge. He looked over his shoulder. There it was. His rope, tied at one end around his waist, stretched all the way back across the chasm to the remnants of the bridge on the far side.

Tordek laughed aloud. "Looks like we're not done with yet," he called up, enthusiastically. With a single strand of rope still running from his belt to the other side the chasm, the adventurers still had a chance of making a way back across to aid their friends. Tordek began to climb again. "Hold on, I'm coming up."

Above him, Lidda also noticed the rope. She didn't smile, but she, too, realized that they still had a chance, because the dwarf had taken the time to tie himself off.

Regdar looked down at the dwarf and grimaced. Tordek looked horribly burned. "I'd better get out my healing potion."


	5. Chapter Five: The Door

CHAPTER FIVE: THE DOOR

Alhandra knew that with Regdar on the far side of the chasm and Tordek probably burned and fallen to his death, she was the only one with the strength to go toe-to-toe with the chimera. She didn't expect to come out alive. The magical beast landed beside her with a thump, snarling and pawing at the ground. Smoke still curled from the nostrils of its dragon-head. It folded its wings and came at her on foot.

The paladin raised her shield and blocked a swipe of its feline paw. The claws scraped across the metal of her shield. She ducked to one side as the chimera tried to ram her with its goat-head. She peered out over the top of her shield. She thrust, quickly, with her sword, biting deep into the neck of the dragon's head. She didn't know how soon the chimera would be able to use its breath weapon again, but after seeing what it had done to Tordek on the bridge, Alhandra wanted to make sure the dragon head, at least, was put out of action.

The chimera roared at the wound she'd inflicted, and snarled, too. More quickly than she'd expected, it lowered its goat-head and charged. The horns rammed into her shield, knocking the wind out of her and driving her back a few steps. The chimera saw an opening and swiped at her right side with one of its lionine forelegs. The strong claws ripped through her metal armor and opened three bloody gashes in Alhandra's stomach. It was like a great cat playing with a mouse.

Already, Alhandra was beginning to stagger, and she could barely keep her feet under her. Her vision swam. Bravely, she called on the aid of her patron diety and attacked again. This time, she scored a hit. Her sword sliced through the neck of the chimera's dragon-head, not quite severing it, but biting deep. Blood sprayed from the wound, dousing the paladin's helm and shield. The dragon-head flopped to one side, its forked tongue lolled out and its eyes dark and glazed.

The beast roared in horrific agony at the loss of one of its heads. It swatted at Alhandra with a paw, knocking her to the ground, senseless. Then, the chimera leapt on top of her with its full bulk. The goat-head kept watch over Jozan and the others while the lion-head snarled and moved to pick up the stunned paladin in its jaws.

"No!" Jozan yelled and ran towards the chimera, shield raised and mace ready. He landed a solid blow on the goat-head, smashing bone and horn. But the lion-head was so intent on making a meal of Alhandra that the chimera stayed where it was, and Jozan survived. Instead of retreating, the priest weighed in with another blow against the goat head, bashing it again. "That should get your attention, I think!"

The two elves saw that things were indeed going badly. Alhandra was inches away from being torn to shreds by the fangs of the lion, and Jozan had apparently lost all sense of caution.

"Jozan, get back!" Mialee yelled. "You're too close!" She looked at the wand in her hand. She had already fired a number of volleys into the chimera, and she knew she'd hurt the thing, but the wand's missiles just weren't strong enough to seriously affect the monster. And she wasn't quite sure how many charges were left in the wand. She tucked it back into her belt. "I'll save this for later. It's time to try something else."

Mialee straightened and raised her arms, outstretched. She spoke the ancient words of power that would call forth a spell, and her hands moved in a smooth, practiced motion, tracing out the somatic component. As she completed the short ritual, the desired magic welled up in her mind, and she pointed her right hand, palm outward, towards the chimera. A ball of grayish white light materialized in front of her hand and streaked towards the monster, expanding as it went. By the time her magic had crossed the rocky clearing, it had formed into a sort of net. It smacked into the chimera with a viscous thump, enveloping the thing's two remaining heads in a web of sticky strands. The edges of the magical net stuck to the ground like glue, constraining the monster. Her web had enveloped both of the chimera's remaining heads. She could see that the chimera could have easily taken flight, ripping apart her web, but it would take some time for the monster to clear the strands from its eyes. "Now, Jozan! Strike it now, before it frees itself!"

Jozan was startled when Mialee's web spell appeared on the chimera's heads, but the battle-hardened cleric kept his head. He was used to such things. He weighed in again with his heavy mace, cracking bones. "For Pelor!"

Soveliss decided the time for arrow-work was past. Though the bow was his preferred weapon, he'd fought in close quarters many times before, and he could be deadly in melee. He drew a longsword and a dagger from his belt.

The elven ranger leapt in close to the snarling, thrashing, webbed chimera. He couldn't see through Mialee's web, but he could tell that her spell had done it's job- Alhandra was still alive between the monster's forelegs, and hadn't yet been torn apart by the lion-head. Soveliss darted in close, his weapons a blur. He slashed and stabbed at the unguarded flank of the chimera, cutting the monster badly. Always thinking, he reached up and sliced at the monster's right wing, trying to sever it at the root. That tactic had worked, after a fashion, on the harpies. Removing the monster's ability to fly would hamper it and prevent its escape. Gritting his teeth, Soveliss spun again and reversed his sword and dagger. He brought both weapons down on the top of the lion-head, impaling them to the hilts.

The chimera shuddered when Soveliss stabbed it through the head. Then Jozan brought his mace down one more time on the head of the goat. There was a loud crack as the skull was split open. The monster went silent and fell over, dead.

Shakily, Jozan and Soveliss pulled Alhandra out from beneath the chimera.

"Is she still alive?" Soveliss asked.

The cleric felt her pulse. "Yes, though barely. Her armor's a bloody mess, but Pelor willing she'll be all right."

"That was brave of her, what she did," the elf said. "I hope your god was watching."

Jozan chuckled. "He was, my friend. Fear not. In a few moments, I think she will be fine. Just help me pull her clear and clean her up a bit, so I can do my god's work."

Mialee, seeing what the two were doing, dispelled her webs with a wave of her hand. "That should help a little." The magic-user couldn't help feel a little pride that her well-timed spell had aided in defeating such a fearsome guardian.

It was not long before Alhandra was back on her feet, just as Jozan had promised. "The healing power of Pelor shines upon the brave," he said.

The four then collected their belongings and went to the edge of the chasm. Lidda waved to them from the other side.

"You've been busy!" Soveliss called across.

"We'll have the bridge back up in a minute," Lidda shouted. During the fight, Regdar and Tordek had hauled up the rope, and tied it off on their side. "You'll have to come across hand over hand!"

Jozan and Alhandra didn't think much of that, burdened as they were with heavy armor and packs.

"Are you up to crossing it?" Jozan asked.

"Do you think you can do it?" Alhandra answered, a friendly note of challenge in her voice.

"Hah, no problem."

Soveliss, who wore much lighter leather armor, knew he'd be able to make the crossing without any trouble. As a wood elf, he was quite used to climbing ropes, and as a scout he was nimble enough. He didn't fear falling. "What about you, Mialee? Do you think you'll be able to pull yourself across?"

"I should think so," she answered, trying to sound sure of herself.

Soveliss grabbed hold of the rope and began pulling himself across. In a very short time, he was on the far side, being congratulated by Regdar and Lidda and Tordek.

"Great job," Tordek said, clapping the elf on the back. "I'm glad I didn't have to cross like that."

"I think my way of crossing was a good bit easier than yours," Soveliss chuckled. "I doubt I could have held on through a fall like that." The dwarf beamed with pride, and Soveliss declined to mention that they'd probably have to cross the chasm again by means of the rope- on their way back.

Alhandra, making her way along the rope hand-over-hand, was thinking along much the same lines. If one of them should become seriously wounded inside the cave, or, gods-forbid, should one of them fall into darkness, it would be difficult if not impossible to bring an injured person back across that rope. She silently prayed it would not come to that.

The last three adventurers crossed with a bit more tension, and much more slowly, but eventually everyone stood together on the far side. Nervously, they all stood looking into the dark, dragon-carved cave that had been the chimera's lair.

"Someplace in there lies the Deck of Many Things," Mialee said.

"Our quest is nearly at an end," Regdar said.

"You hope," said Lidda.

The others looked at her. "What do you mean?"

The halfling pointed into the cave. "While you were all coming across, I stuck my head into the chimera's cave."

"What?" Regdar said. "What did you see?"

"Well, for one thing, there's a nice pile of gold in there."

"The chimera's treasure?" Tordek asked.

Lidda nodded.

"What about the Deck? Is that in there?" Jozan asked.

Lidda shrugged. "Not in the cave, but it looks like there's some kind of door at the back. I didn't look at it too closely, only enough to see that it was closed tight and made of stone. You think the Deck is inside?"

"Let's take a look at this door," Mialee said.

Lidda nodded, and showed them into the cave. The seven companions crowded into the narrow confines of the cave. It didn't extend back very far, but it was strangely dark and cold inside. Torches were lit and they quickly examined the place.

"Surprisingly small for such a large beast," Regdar said. "Not much of a cave."

"Chimerae are not like dragons," Jozan said. "They are usually brought someplace for a specific purpose, and tend to stay where they are born."

Tordek looked over at Lidda. "Where's that treasure you mentioned?"

"Over there," she said, pointing to a dark lump to one side. They quickly searched the chimera's treasure.

"There's a healthy little hoard here," Tordek said, greedily shoving silver, electrum and gold coins into his backpack.

"And there's the door," Lidda said, pocketing one of the few platinum pieces scattered amongst the treasure. The back of the cave was of carved stone, shaped into a smooth wall, about ten feet square. The outline of a large door was clearly visible in the torchlight.

"Let's get what we can carry, and then look at the door," Regdar said.

The others agreed, and they divided up the treasure in their usual way. Everyone had agreed long ago that anything brought back from an adventure would be tallied and redistributed at a later date, once everything had been examined and counted. With their packs mostly full, the seven companions turned to the next obstacle before them- the door.

"There's no handle," Jozan said. "Is there any sign of a mechanism?"

Mialee and Lidda moved forward to examine the smooth wall more closely.

"No runes," the elf said, running her fingertips along the stone.

"And no traps," Lidda added.

"What kind of a door has no handle?" Regdar asked. "How are we supposed to open it?"

"Let me have a look," Tordek said. The dwarf laced shut his bulging pack and went over to the door. He rapped it once with his axe, experimentally. Then, he stuck his axe in his belt and pulled a small hammer from his pouch. He rapped the stone door with it, gently at first, then a second time, much harder. The others winced at the noise, but the blow didn't seem to harm the stone at all. It's surface remained as smooth and unchipped as ever. "Hrm," Tordek said, rubbing his beard. "There's definitely a room or passage behind it."

"Can we break our way through?" Regdar asked.

"Not with this we can't," Tordek said, putting away his hammer. "This isn't that sort of tool. And besides, even if we had the right mining equipment, I don't think we'd make much progress. This is good stone." He put his hand on the unmoving door.

"Maybe there's a key somewhere," Lidda suggested. "Could we have missed it in the pile?"

Soveliss spread his hands. "What good is a key without a keyhole?"

"You're right," Regdar agreed. "I still think breaking it down is our best bet."

"Maybe not," Tordek said. He pursed his lips and ran his fingers along the door again. Then, he pressed his ear against the door, as if listening. The others looked on in amusement as the dwarf began to, of all things, hum, softly. Tordek went on that way for some minutes, humming some strange tune quietly to the silent stone, eyes closed, head pressed against the door. Finally, he stopped and opened his eyes. "We're not going to break it down," he said. "We couldn't if we tried. There's an enchantment in the stone. Even a mattock of the titans wouldn't so much as chip it."

Regdar looked at a loss. "So, what do we do?"

The dwarf smiled. "There is a keyhole, we just have to find it."

Mialee looked down at Tordek. "You think the door is magic?"

He nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"Well then, let's just make sure." Mialee rolled up her sleeves and waved her hands in a quick enchantment, muttering the words of a simple spell. Before their eyes, the door began to glow as her spell revealed the enchantment on the door.

"It's glowing," Lidda said.

"Told you it was magic," Tordek said.

"But look," Mialee said, pointing. "There, in the exact center of the door. Do you see it?"

"You're right, lass!" Tordek exclaimed. "It glows more brightly there in the center."

"I think we've found our keyhole," Mialee said, smiling. She gingerly pressed her hand to the spot in the middle of the door where the enchantment seemed the strongest. Sure enough, the door responded. There was a quiet rasping of stone on stone, and a panel slid aside in the door, revealing a small cavity.

"Bring a torch over here," Regdar ordered. The flickering light revealed the secret cavity was not more than a handspan deep. There at the back of it was a small lever. He reached his hand in. "And there's our handle."

"Better let me have a look at it, first," Lidda reminded him, putting her hand on Regdar's arm.

"Ah, right," the fighter said, pulling his hand back.

Lidda waggled a finger at him. "You must remember these things, Reg," she grinned. "Now, hold the torch closer, so I can see." The little thief had to stand on her tiptoes, but she was able to peer all the way into the hidden compartment. Gingerly, she felt around inside with her thieves tools. After a few moments, she stepped back. "It's safe," she announced. "Who wants to do the honors?"

"Well, Lidda," Regdar said, "if you want to, go ahead and pull it. You've earned it."

Smiling, Lidda reached back into the little compartment and pulled the lever. Immediately, there was a grinding sound from within the rock. She pulled her hand clear and took a step back. The great stone door slid upward, revealing beyond a darkened chamber. There was a hiss of stale wind as the air escaped the room beyond, air that had not stirred in hundreds of years.


	6. Chapter Six: The Deck of Many Things

CHAPTER SIX: THE DECK OF MANY THINGS

"There it is, the Deck of Many Things."

The other adventurers followed Regdar into the room, their recent battles forgotten at the sight of the legendary artifact. Only a few of them even noticed the stone door that slid silently shut behind them, so engrossed were they in the object in the center of the chamber. Such a small thing, so perilous, yet so tantalizing.

"Spread out," said Regdar, reminding his awestruck companions they were still in a dangerous place.

The room was orthogonal in shape, with walls of smooth gray stone and no adornment besides the pedestal containing the Deck. On the floor around the edge of the chamber was a ring of arcane symbols. There were twenty-two of them.

"The same as the number of cards in the Deck," Jozan said, fingering the holy symbol around his neck, but pointing ominously at the runes.

"So, this is the thing the gods made," Lidda said in an awed voice. She removed her hand from the hilt of one of her many daggers. Never afraid to tempt fate, she stepped past the cleric and the warrior to examine the Deck more closely.

It was a simple thing, seemingly a neatly stacked pile of tiles, shaped like the cards used by gamblers and fortunetellers, but this Deck was no game. Each card, it was said, bound powerful magic, released for good or ill on the one who drew from the deck. The powers of wealth and misery, of might and weakness, of life, death and undeath were somehow contained within the Deck.

"How long has it been here, I wonder?" Lidda asked.

"Don't touch it yet," Regdar warned, grabbing the halfling by the shoulder and pulling her back.

She scowled at him and muttered something about being overprotective.

"I don't think there is any danger in looking at it," Mialee said, stepping forward. The wizardess felt a chill run up her spine. Merely being in the presense of such an artifact awakened her curiosity- as well as her ambitions. The wild-haired mage peered at the Deck for a moment, then glanced back over her shoulder. ""It is said you must announce your intentions of how many cards you wish to draw before doing so. I don't think that door will reopen until we've all made our choice, and drawn."

"Make way," growled Tordek, shouldering his way to the front. "Let me see this thing we've travelled so far to see." His eyebrows bristled at the sight of the minor artifact, but what the dwarf was thinking, none of the others could tell.

"I'll draw once," Lidda blurted, reaching a hand toward the Deck.

Regdar, alarmed, grabbed the thief by the wrist. "Now you've gone and done it, Lidda."

"I'll draw once, too," added the dwarf.

Regdar sighed, and looked to Jozan for support. The cleric could only shrug. "So much for caution," Regdar muttered. "All right," he said, looking around at the others. "Since we're probably committed now, I'll draw once, too. What about the rest of you?"

"I will draw one card," Mialee said, her eyes eager.

"So will I," said Jozan.

Regdar nodded and looked gravely at the last two. "Alhandra and Soveliss, what about you?"

"I for one won't draw," Alhandra said, folding her arms. "This thing is an abomination, a toy made by evil gods. I'll not rely on the whim of some slumbering power and risk my soul, merely for a chance at riches." She glanced at Soveliss.

The elf paused a moment, considering her argument. Alhandra had a point, but she saw things differently. He flipped his cloak over his shoulder. "I, too, will draw one card."

"Your greed will bring ruin upon us all," Alhandra protested, gesturing at all of them.

Soveliss narrowed his eyes- he was proud, and not used to being reprimanded by a human. But Regdar raised his hand and intervened. "No one is asking you to draw from the Deck, Alhandra, but it IS why we came here- you knew that when we set out."

She clenched her fist. "We should leave, now. This is not right."

"We've not come this far, only to turn back," Lidda said.

"There is no turning back, now," Mialee reminded them, eyeing the sealed door.

"Then we should destroy it," Alhandra said, reaching for her sword.

"We don't have a chance in the Nine Hells of doing that," Mialee said. "It would take an archmage or a high priest to even attempt to destroy the Deck."

"She's right," Jozan added. "This thing is an artifact of a different era. I'm sure Pelor brought us here for a reason. If it had been our fate that we come here to destroy the Deck, the gods would have first provided us with the ability to do so." The cleric spread his hands. "But we have no such means, so it must be Pelor's will that we use it, not destroy it."

"I'll wait here until you're done," Alhandra said, turning away. She leaned her back against the wall.

"Right," Regdar said. He took a deep breath, and slapped Lidda's hand, which was reaching towards the cards. "I'll go first, in case something bad is going to happen."

Jozan looked at his friend. "Are you sure you want to draw first?"

The big warrior nodded, with a sidelong glance at little Lidda. "Yeah, I want to do it."

"Good luck, Reg," Lidda whispered.

With Jozan making a holy sign for luck over his shoulder, Regdar bent closer to the cards. Carefully, he removed his gauntlets and tucked them in his belt. "Heh, my palms are sweating," he chuckled. But there was no mirth in his eyes. He reached out a hand towards the Deck. Gingerly, he drew a single card, and held it. The back of the card was a pure, glossy black, with silver trim around the edges.

"Turn it over," Lidda said.

Regdar gulped, and turned the card over in his hand, revealing its face- a large, silver star. He shrugged. Then, the fighter's eyes went wide, and he straightened. The card disappeared from his hand, and he arched his back. His hands flexed.

"Regdar!" Lidda cried out, but Jozan grabbed her and held her back.

"Wait!" Mialee hissed.

Regdar was relaxing again, a look of amazement on his face. He held his hands up in front of his face, turning them back and forth in disbelief. The others looked on nervously. Then, Regdar grinned, and flexed his muscles. "I feel ten times stronger!" He jumped up in the air, perhaps testing his newfound strength, while Lidda and the others gave a sigh of relief. Still grinning, Regdar nodded for Lidda to take her turn.

Lidda went next to the grey pedestal with the Deck. Like Regdar, she carefully removed her gloves, and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. Without hesitating, she drew a sleek, black card from the Deck and turned it over. There on the face of it was a human figure, clad in brown leather armor not unlike her own. The figure seemed to be dancing, or running, and smiling with mischievous glee. "A rogue!" Lidda exclaimed, beaming. But then, the card disappeared from her hand, and she frowned. "What? Wait a minute, I don't feel any different! Nothing happened!"

"Beware, Lidda," the wizardess said with a crooked smile. "Not all of the cards powers manifest immediately. You may be in for a surprise when we depart this place."

"I don't like the sound of that," Lidda said. "I don't know whether to feel disappointed or afraid." She moved aside to stand next to Regdar and Alhandra. "I'm glad you at least got something you deserved," she told the warrior. "I thought for sure that when I'd drawn the rogue card, it would have been SOMETHING for me. But that's just my typical luck- get all worked up, only to be let down."

Regdar put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, smiling. "Don't worry, Liddie, I'm sure it was something really wonderful. Yours just didn't happen immediately like mine."

"I'm next," Tordek said, leaning his axe on the pedestal and taking his place before the Deck. The pedestal came up almost to his chin, but the dwarf could clearly see the ominous cards. With a silent prayer to his grim deity, he reached out and drew one card. "A key," he announced, holding the card up. The others caught a glimpse of the silver and gold symbol on his card- unmistakeably a key. Everyone held their breath.

Suddenly, the card winked out of existence, taking its place back in the Deck, like the ones before it. In its place, Tordek held a tattered scroll, and in the other, a strange dagger. "By the Fiery Orbs," he swore, looking at his newfound items in amazement.

He held the dagger up for the others to see, and it was like no knife any of them had seen before. It was like a curved shard of crystal, translucent and obviously very sharp. "Looks like a giant fang," Tordek said, eyeing his curious prize. "Hardly the weapon a dwarf would choose. Still, I guess it might be useful some day." He shrugged. Tucking the crystalline knife carefully in his belt, he unrolled the parchment in his other hand and examined it. "Wonder what this is?"

"What is it?" Lidda asked.

The dwarf furrowed his brow and mumbled to himself, trying to decipher the scroll. Then, his eyes lit up with joy. "It's some sort of treasure map! A map to none other than the Mines of Myrah!"

"The Mines of What?" Lidda asked, intrigued.

At the back of the room, Alhandra stirred. "The mines of Myrah," the paladin explained, her voice also curiously interested. "Legendary resting place of the Mead of Verses."

"Why, wait until the lads hear about this! That Mead was lost long ago, when we hid it away to keep it from the giants-"

"Your folk stole it from the giants in the first place," Alhandra reminded him.

The dwarf went on as if he'd not heard. He was nearly giddy. "My folk have been seeking the Mead for centuries. Why, if this map is real-"

"I am certain it is," Mialee said, a little impatiently. "Can we get back to the business at hand?"

"Yes," Soveliss added. "We can examine the treasure map, or whatever it is, later. But there are still three of us left to draw from the Deck."

Jozan took a step closer to the pedestal. "Mialee, you seem most eager, why don't you go next?"

The wizardess nodded. Her face was a mask that betrayed no emotion. Swiftly, she reached out and drew a card from the Deck and showed it to the others. There on her card was a drawing of a crumbling castle, overgrown with weeds, slowly being destroyed by the ravages of time. "Ruin," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"That can't be good," Lidda said aloud.

The card disappeared from her hand. If Mialee was afraid, she hid it well, for not once did she seem concerned- only her usual calm, aloof self. But then she swallowed hard. She patted the pockets of her skirt. Finding them suddenly empty, she reached frantically into her other pockets, tore open her pouches and rummaged through her pack, even checking down inside her boots and a secret pocket in her cloak none of the others had known about. "All my gold," she said. "It's gone!"

"All of it?" Tordek gasped.

"Every last copper. And every gem, every jewel, everything with any monetary value." She was ruined.

Jozan was alarmed- he knew the power her spells lent the party. "What about your spell components?"

"They're still here," Mialee said, relieved. "At least, those which aren't worth anything." Obviously disgruntled, Mialee moved away from the Deck, making room for the others.

"Don't worry about that, Mia," Lidda said. "That's one problem we can solve as soon as we get back to town." She grinned and rubbed her palms together.

"We'll see about that," Alhandra sniffed, looking disdainfully at her roguish companion.

"Well," Jozan said, trying to sound cheerful. "That leaves just you and I, Soveliss. One card apiece. Who shall it be?"

"I will draw next," the sullen elf answered, glancing at Alhandra.

"Don't sneer at me, wood elf," she shot back. "Just take your cursed turn."

"As you wish, my lady." With a mocking bow, Soveliss went to stand beside the Deck. He removed his archer's gloves and reached for a card. Turning it over, the elf's eyes widened and his face went pale. There on his card was a symbol of such obvious menace the others gasped in fright- a black ball of pure darkness- the Void. A chill came over the room. Soveliss' eyes went blank, and the normally lithe ranger just stood there like one stricken dumb. His companions rushed to his side.

"Soveliss!" Jozan called out, shaking him. But it was no use- the elf's spirit had been ripped from his mortal body, leaving only a mindless automaton. Lidda choked back tears, and Mialee averted her eyes. The others were shaking.

The card vanished from his hands. But this time, instead of returning to the stack like the others, there was an audible "pop" and the entire Deck of Many Things winked out of existence.

"What the-"

"By the Frozen Hells-"

"The whole thing's gone!"

"But I didn't get to draw," Jozan protested. Somehow, the power of the evil card Soveliss had chosen trumped the other rules of the game. Jozan would no longer be required to draw from the Deck, nor would he be permitted.

In the far wall of the chamber, a second stone door slid upward without a sound, revealing a secret exit from the ruins. Sunlight flooded into the empty room.

Regdar felt a lump in his stomach as he looked at Soveliss' vacant eyes. He saw the stricken look on his companions' faces and reality dawned on them all- the insidious hand that the elf had drawn. "Let's get out of here," Regdar ordered. "Tordek, you take the lead."

The dwarf nodded and dashed out, as he'd done countless times before. The others followed silently, none daring to look into the soulless eyes of the elf. Jozan looked especially shaken. Alhandra gently took Soveliss' hand, and led him towards the door.

With a last look around the chamber, and at the now empty pedestal where once the Deck of Many Things had sat, Regdar turned to Lidda, who was waiting beside him. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to restore him. You'll see."

The little thief paused and looked up at the big warrior.

"What is it?" Regdar asked.

"I'm still wondering what MY card has in store for me."

* * *


End file.
